1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to dehumidifiers for removing humidity from the ambient air, and more particularly to a compact dehumidifier having a modular design for readily interchanging component parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dehumidifiers and other portable air treatment devices, such as air cleaners, and personal coolers (also known as “swamp coolers”), are a common consumer products for use in the home and office.
Conventional dehumidifiers typically comprise a compressor located in a lower portion of a chassis behind a condensate collection bucket. An air flow system draws in ambient air which is dehumidified and expelled from the dehumidifier. The air flow system typically comprises an axial fan which draws air through evaporator and condenser coils before being expelled. The air flow system is typically mounted in an upper portion of the chassis above the condensate collection bucket and the compressor. This configuration results in a relatively tall and/or wide configuration, which takes up a lot of space in the room and which is cumbersome to move.
All things being equal, consumers prefer as small a configuration as possible so that the portable dehumidifier does not take up any more space in the room than is necessary. Unfortunately, the design of current dehumidifiers requires a reduction in dehumidifier capacity, either moisture removal rate or the size of the collection bucket, to obtain a smaller configuration. However, either of these capacity reductions have negative consequences for at least some segment of the consumers. The reduction in the rate of moisture removal means the dehumidifier may not be able to meet the consumer's needs in drying out a room, especially if it is a larger room or has higher humidity. The reduction in the collection bucket capacity increases the frequency with which the condensate collection bucket must be emptied. In most cases, consumers will accept a larger configuration to maintain the capacity that they need. Thus, there is still a need for a dehumidifier with a smaller configuration while maintaining the needed capacity.
In the same way that consumers would prefer a smaller configuration, consumers would also prefer fewer appliances. In the context of air treatment devices, consumers often use multiple appliances. For example, the consumer may desire a dehumidifier for summer use, a humidifier for winter use, and an air cleaner for year-round use. This will necessitate three separate air treatment devices.
To the extent that one appliance can perform multiple functions, whether directly or by simple modification, it is highly desired by the consumer. In the case of air treatment devices, they typically share a subset of components, even though not all devices require the same components. For example, dehumidifiers and swamp coolers both use blowers and collection buckets/reservoirs. Air cleaners often use forced air in combination with a suitable filter element.
It should not be forgotten that consumers would prefer to have the increased functionality and smaller size without any additional cost in the appliance. This puts a great burden on the manufacturer to create a design that meets or closely meets both the consumer's functional and cost needs.
From the manufacturer's viewpoint, while the air treatment appliances do often share common components, the components in one appliance for one function may not be optimized for another function, leading to the appliance. Often the manufacturer will design for the worst case function, which can lead to over design for the other functions. This has the tendency to increase the cost to the consumer, which is undesirable.
Therefore, there is a strong desire and need for manufacturers to provide consumers with as few air treatment appliances as possible to meet the consumer's air treatment needs while minimizing the cost, which is a very difficult task.